The innovation project aims to bring 3d metal heat exchangers on the market, designed to be modular and smart (sensors equipped and connected) and thought for different industries such as aerospace, oleo dynamic, hydraulic, oil & gas.
The heat exchanger is a key element for many industries. The PMI Aidro Hydraulics & 3D Printing, based in the province of Varese, is active in hydraulics and metal additive manufacturing whit also almost 40 years of experience in the field of “fluids under pressure”. Moreover, Aidro has already designed, tested and built 3D metal printed heat exchangers, which may be marketed as customized products. Inspired by the organic forms of nature, the internal surfaces of the exchangers “grow” layer by layer thanks to the powder bed laser melting processes. This type of manufacturing allows to build of complex geometry that cannot be obtained with traditional production techniques and also optimize different characteristics of the product such as heat exchange, pressure resistance, weight and dimension respect to plates or tube bungles products normally available on the market .
Due to weldless and jointless solutions this kind of heat exchangers represents a turning point compared to traditional technologies. Furthermore, it is designed to be modular and equipped with a connected sensor for predictive maintenance (Internet of things), responding to the precise and still unsolved problem of reducing times and maintenance costs of heat exchangers in critical applications.
Being produced with a process that “adds material only where needed”, the solution is ecological and, overall, it can have a strong business impact in demanding markets like the aerospace.